Composite and multilayer ferroelectric thin films: processing, properties and applications

This paper reviews recent developments in processing, properties and applications of composite and multilayer ferroelectric thin films. Methods such as physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition and sol-gel, for the processing of composite and multilayer ferroelectric films are described. Among the techniques reviewed for the fabrication of multilayer ferroelectric films, molecular beam epitaxy and atomic layer metal-organic chemical vapor deposition are the most suitable techniques for the deposition of superlattices with atomically sharp interface. As an efficient and quick way, pulsed-laser deposition has been widely used for the preparation of ferroelectric multilayers and heterostructures. Superior dielectric properties have been reported for sol-gel-derived micrometer-thick ceramic/ceramic composite ferroelectric films. Properties of multilayer ferroelectric films vary as a function of periodicity, which can be exploited for the development of various electronic devices. Enhanced characteristics of composite and multilayer films with selected examples from recent literature and the origin of enhancement are discussed and summarized. Finally, applications of the materials for the development of various electronic devices are also presented. (C) 2002 Kluwer Academic Publishers.